The Revival of the Platypus
by waffleman1314-AJ ThaPlatypus
Summary: After a group of kids request the aid of the reclusive Master Perry, he's forced to come out of his hiding place to assist them in defeating Doofus Khan. Now, he has to face the decision that he made several years ago and what it did to his true love. *Stopped*
1. The First Time in a Long Time

**The Way of the Platypus fans: it's here! The sequel to both Doof Dynasty and the prequel I wrote is ready at last! Now, this first chapter is mostly from the actual episode, so bear with me. But, enjoy! -AJ ThaPlatypus**

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The sky was as red blood as the dawn broke. I stepped out onto a ledge over-looking the valley below the Unclimbable Mountain of Unclimbableness. What a name. In my left hand, I held a spool of white string. In my right; a rectangular kite. It was tan with a koi fish painted into the fabric. I wore a red monk's robe with simple sandals. About now, the peasants in the Tri-Province Area would be rising from a short night of rest to begin their daily routines. Those up in the palace would be busying themselves with whatever missions were today. I sat down and let my kite loose into the wind.

It had been a long time since I'd left civilization to lead a contemplative life up here. I'd decided that a reclusive, lonely life would be far better than having to face each day without Fuji…or Xing…but they were long since dead. My nemesis, the unfortunately named Doofus Khan, had killed them before I'd gotten a chance to save them. I shook my head and took a deep breath; thinking about it only made it hurt more.

I watched the kite as it bobbed about in the wind. Today was warm. I had a feeling that it would pass without any rain or hail. It was a gut feeling, really. But I was usually right about that. My instinct had never failed me; it had been a key reason for my success as a Master of the Hù Jù, a group of warriors that were sworn to protect the Tri-Province Area under the command of General Carl and his overseer, the Regent Monogram. I had been third in command for a while before I just up and left. It made me wonder who had taken my place.

Again I shook my head. Thinking on the past only stung more. I was up here to be alone and away from it all. The only company I truly has was Adoy. That little green man from another planet had left me an entire spaceship to reach him, if there ever was a need, that is. I hadn't had much need as of late.

The string pulled taut a little. I tugged at it a little and let more string loose from the spool. My kite floated out a little further. That was what I willed my uneasy spirit to be. As free of worry as the kite on the wind.

If my counting was right, today there would be a celebration in the Tri-Province Area. A parade would take place. It was something that happened every year. A royal would come through every town, province, and city. I'd never understood why. Perhaps it had already happened. Or was happening as I sat here. I closed my eyes and tried to picture the celebration going on. It had been years since I'd been anywhere close to another living soul.

For hours all I did was watch the kite as it bobbed in the wind. There wasn't much else I could do. I thought. More so contemplated. When one put his mind to it, there were numerous things to ponder; the only trouble with simply thinking is that it was often boring. I found myself occasionally craving social interaction. But I'd given that up when I'd left a note further down the mountain declaring my permanent solitude.

What I didn't expect was that it would be forcibly broken.

As I sat on my little ledge, a large foot of some sort suddenly landed beside me. I blinked and watched as a mechanical jiao appeared from below the ledge. Inside were four boys, not looking to be much older than twelve. One boy with a triangular head stepped out first. I stood up, hitching the spool in the ground to keep my kite from flying off, and walked over to him as well. I was tempted to let him know that he wasn't welcome. But something appeared…earnest about him.

"Master Perry," the boy said. He pressed his hands together and bowed in respect. I did the same. "This is a great honor."

"Wow. I can't believe he's a platypus…" one boy in the jiao whispered to another. A second boy with green hair walked up behind the first. The boy being whispered to gave the whisperer an incredulous look.

"Phineas pulls a mechanical jiao with mechanical feet out of his backpack and _that_ is what bugs you?" the other boy responded. The boys in front of me ignored them; it must have been normal for the other two to bicker like so.

"Master Perry!" the first boy said a second time. "Doofus Khan has kidnapped the Princess and only you can save her!"

What a bold statement. I'd never met this boy before; in fact, he was probably younger than the time I'd spent up here in my lonesome. He seemed so sure that I was the answer to his problem. I shook my head and put my hands up. No. There was no need to verbalize it to him. The answer was no. I wasn't about to screw up saving someone's life again. The kid seemed a little confused at this. He frowned.

"You mean you won't?" he asked. "But why, Master Perry? What made you give up the life of a warrior hero?"

Okay, so this kid was being a little intrusive. My mind was involuntarily pulled back into thinking about Fuji and Xing. Their deaths…my fault. What if the same were to happen?

"What's he doing?" the kid blinked. I paid him no mind. The boy beside him decided to offer his own explanation. I was lost in thought about my family and how I'd failed them. What if I hadn't tested the bounds Doofus Khan had set? Would they still be alive today?

"That's a ripple dissolve," the other kid said. "He must be having a flashback."

Flashback indeed. What did the kid know about anything? He'd never been so stupid as to get someone he loved killed, I'd bet on that. I've always been a good better. So it was safe to say that he _didn't_ know anything. He was just a kid with some futile mission.

"Does he know we can't see it?" the first kid frowned. "Should we give him some privacy? I don't know the protocol for flashbacks."

I brought my attention back to the surface and blinked at them. Why were they even still here? I'd just blatantly refused to save their Princess. Couldn't they just leave already? I was of no use to them if I wouldn't come with them or answer their plea for help. Yes, I suppose it would be rude excuse, but if lives could be spared of infinitesimal mistakes, then rude I would have to be.

"Is he back?" the first kid glances at me, then looks at the second. "He's back."  
I blinked. _Leave me be_, I thought. _Leave me to my misery._

"Well, judging by the time you spent staring off into space, I'm guessing something pretty bad. But someone has to rescue the Princess, if you won't come with us at least you can train us to do it ourselves."

Who did they think I was? I was tempted to send them right back down the mountain. They'd climbed up here and they could climb right back down and leave me be. But the sincerity with which this kid expressed himself tugged a little at my heart. It was the same sincerity I'd expressed many years ago with General Carl and the Regent Monogram- the undying desire to prove oneself. Now, what he wanted to prove and to whom he wanted to prove himself to was none of my concern. Could I train four boys that had randomly showed up on my 'front doorstep?' I didn't doubt it. They hadn't once dubbed me a Master just because they felt pity on the poor peasant boy who'd lost his livelihood gambling and drinking.

I pressed my palms together and bowed. The kids didn't need any other proof. I was helping in the only way I would. That was enough for them. And it was certainly enough for a hasty musical montage.

Waving a hand, and still keeping my mouth shut, I brought them in front of a large temple that sat atop the mountain. No one knew what for- it had been abandoned ever since I'd first climbed the mountain as a test given by General Carl during my training and probably much longer. They all looked around in wonder at the beautiful place I dwelled in.

"So, Master Perry, what will you be teaching us?" the first kid questioned.

"Just listen to the song," I told them, giving in. Somewhere, and no, I won't tell you where, music started to play.

**Oh yeah!**

**In other circumstances you might fail  
'Cause I know you don't have a beaver tail  
You're not a platypus  
But I'm gonna see you sweat...**

**Milk!**

**We're gonna see how much you can take  
I'm gonna work you through your union break  
You squeeze a silkworm, what'cha think you're gonna get?  
Silk!**

**But I know a way we can make you a warrior  
Even though now you're a wuss  
It's the Way of the Platypus!**

**But that's just the general information. Here's some of the specific things you can look forward to in your workout...**

**You're gonna run up a ramp with two buckets of water  
Swing over muck for some reason  
At some point you'll drop to your knees when it's rainin'  
And look up into the skyyyyyyyyyyyyyy...**

**You'll stand on a pole with your arms out  
Hey, these flowers are way out of season  
You'll fly to a swamp planet, meet a little green man  
And move big heavy things with your miiiiiiiiiiiiiind...**

**But I know a way we can make you a warrior  
Even though now you're a wuss  
It's the Way of the Platypus!**

**It's the Way of the Platypus!**

The gang of kids was certainly happy to know that the musical workout would help them, so that's what we spent the day doing. I had to admit, for the most part, the kids were easy to teach. It made me reminisce back on the days when I was a kid training to be a warrior. Granted, I had never had the kinds of problems that Baljeet ended up having. The poor boy was clumsy and uncoordinated.

We stopped for a quick snack at about noontime. I only had some rice cakes that I'd made by myself and some peppers that I'd grown, but none of them really seemed to be bothered by that.

"I'm tired," Buford grumbled.

"_You_ are tired?" Baljeet huffed with insult. "_I_ am tired of falling and tripping and being left behind!"

"That's a personal problem, 'jeet," Buford snickered. He grabbed another rice cake and munched on it. "But next time we get into trouble, don't dump the bucket of water we need to wash the wall with on my head. I don't think Master Perry was too happy with that."

I glanced at them on hearing my name. He was right about one thing- I wasn't too happy. But it couldn't technically be attributed to their water fight. Even if this was a way to help without having to show my face, the dread that they'd eventually need help that couldn't be offered from afar weighed on my heart a little. What if Doofus Khan was too much for them? I might have been a great teacher, but if they had only been trained today, then who's to say that they wouldn't face defeat later?

"Master Perry?"

Blinking out of my thoughts, I looked over to see Phineas frowning at me. The others were still snacking, but this boy had broken away just to talk. Why me?

"Yes?" I waited.

"I've heard stories," he said slowly.

"Okay?" I frowned. This didn't seem to be going anywhere. "That's nice."

"They were the most glorious stories," he continued. I did my best not to physically express how much I did _not_ want to hear this. "They were about the Masters of old. How they were fierce, brave warriors. How they battled against the biggest enemies China's ever seen and never gave up, even in defeat."

"Yeah," I said through clenched teeth. "What's your point, kid?"

"Were you one of those Masters?" he cocked his head in question. I felt my heart skip a beat. It would have been the right thing to do, I suppose, to tell him that I wasn't. I'd failed a mission, let innocent people die, and then fled for fear of my own guilt. Those were not the actions of a hero, of a Master.

"Does it matter what type of Master I was?" I said, trying not to let my feelings show through. Phineas shifted his feet a little and looked down.

"I suppose not," he hummed. "But…you don't reveal much."

"You're darn right I don't," I said hastily. I stood up and walked a few paces away from him. "You wouldn't either, kid."

Phineas didn't respond. He silently returned to his friends and finished up his snack. I watched them from where I was standing and gave them a few minutes. They kind of deserved a break. Being hard on them wouldn't necessarily make their progress any quicker. Once it seemed like they were done with eating, I came back over and gave them a quick look.

"Alright, back to work," I said.

We spent most of the afternoon training some more. Baljeet got increasingly less clumsy, but he did manage to sneeze during a quick lesson with Adoy…I'll just say that Adoy and I had to make sure everyone was still alive after we got the rock off of them. He and Buford did get in trouble a second time, but I decided that a little 'wax on, wax off' would just end with a doused Buford again. I put them to work writing on some parchment what they did wrong ninety times or so. (Buford's calligraphy totally sucks, just to let you know). By the time the sun was starting to set in the west, we'd wrapped up the lessons and the kids were eager to be on their way.

I brought them back out to the ledge that they'd first arrived on. My kite was still bouncing on the wind. The setting sun looked very close to the rising one- blood red. Phineas walked over to his backpack and pulled out a jiao on a pogo stick (or something like that). I frowned. That kid was weirding me out.

Buford, Baljeet, and Ferb all got into the jiao and waited for Phineas. The boy looked at me with a sort of pleading look, but it definitely wasn't as desperate as his face from when we'd first met this morning. He took a breath before speaking.

"Are you sure you won't come with us, Master Perry?" he asked. "The kingdom really needs you back."

I looked out into the sunset and thought about it a little. Perhaps the Tri-Province Area _did_ need me back. But that me was long gone. I resisted the urge to let tears slip out of my eyes. A platypus that couldn't save his own family certainly couldn't be trusted to save an entire civilization.

"He's doing it again," I heard Buford mumble. Right, the rippling. I blinked to see that Phineas had climbed into the jiao and was getting ready to leave. Walking over to where I'd tied up my kite, I waited until the jiao started to bounce away into the sunset. The kids waved. I didn't wave back.

"Goodbye, Perry!" I heard them call. I sat back down and untied my kite. It caught on the wind and flew a little higher. Tugging at the string, I made sure it was nice and loose for it to fly. Sighing, I watched it bob up and down for a second.

A hand appeared over the ledge and a girl with bright orange hair pulled herself over it. She had a mad look on her face. Wow, she looked like she'd had a rough day. Her hair was a mess, as were her clothes. I was mostly shocked that she'd climbed the Unclimbable Mountain of Unclimbableness without any tools. I looked straight at her. She glared at me.

"Where…are…they…?" she growled.

I stared back into the sunset. _Oh, by now they'd be half-way to Doofus Khan's Multi-Level Yurt,_ I thought. _Soon, they'll be battling the greatest terror they've ever known in hopes to save a princess that I didn't know existed. I might just have sent them to their doom. But it wasn't my decision, oh no. They made that decision all by themselves. Will they win? Will they lose? Oh, only time will tell. Maybe I should go and help them. No! That'd only end in tears! I mustn't!_

"You know I can't see anything, right?" the girl frowned.

Darned rippling. I stood up and started to reel in my kite. Certainly, it was a mad streak, but those kids were going to end up killing themselves. How could I have been so stupid? If not to save the world, I had to go to save those poor kids from destroying themselves. I could never live with their blood on my hands as well.

"Hey, are you gonna answer my question?" the girl asked angrily. "I thought you were some reputable Master! You're supposed to be honest and tell me where my little brothers and their dorky friends went!"

"Sorry, kid, but I'm not about to let you go after them," I told her, running back up to my dwelling place. I had to don my warrior gear. Today, I was going to do something for the first time in a long time. I pulled on my old suit and quickly snagged a wig out of the closet. I grabbed my kite and a staff and ran straight for the cliff. The girl issued a quick 'hey' to me. "Hang on, Phineas and company- Master Perry's coming back!"

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**It's good to be back! :)**


	2. To the Rescue

**Again, catching up with the episode's time. Sorry it's short, but I wanted to separate episode from my own story and Perry's remaining role in "Doof Dynasty" was minimal. *I do not own the episode; some of the lines are from the transcript.* -AJ **

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My kite quickly caught the wind and zipped off in the general direction of the Tri-Province Area. I knew I wasn't fast enough to catch the jiao-thing that Phineas had pulled out of his backpack, but if I knew one thing, it was that by the time the kids had escaped with the princess, Doofus Khan would have been in some kind of pursuit.

Sure enough, as I flew over the countryside, I noted several areas where buildings were blazing. Whatever the fiend had done this time, it couldn't have been good. I steered to follow the trail of burning yurts to find that I was several minutes behind. What I saw made my brain hurt- a giant terra cotta warrior was fighting a giant rice paper and bamboo dragon. Quickly assessing who was my enemy and who was my friend, I angled my kite to land on the dragon.

"Gotcha!" I heard my old nemesis cackle. The dragon held up a wind-up key as the terra cotta warrior slumped over.

"He has the key to our defeat!" Baljeet cried. Doofus Khan's cackle continued to echo from the head of the dragon.

"You make puns when the other guy is down, dumbbell!" Buford replied to his friend. Doofus Khan made the dragon flick away the wind-up key.

"Aw, poor babies, feeling tired, huh?" Doofus Khan mocked. The dragon picked up a yurt to its side and lifted it over the terra cotta warrior's massive head. "Allow me to put you to sleep!"

The kids all gasped in unison, and then I heard an unfamiliar female voice cry out with disgust, "Ew! Who puts armpit hair on a mechanical dragon?"

"Next time don't put your wind-up key in such an obvious place," the villain said snakily. He sounded a little too confident on that statement. I looked over the dragon and decided there was only one place he could have possibly hidden his. "I cleverly hid mine in a spot only an ancient warrior would dare to go."

Under the tongue. That was the only location he could have hidden it. I leaned forward a little to make the kite fall faster. He noticed me in an instant. It was just enough of an instant to cause a distraction that would allow me to get under the dragon's tongue without his interruption.

"No, Perry the platypus!" he cried. When I got close enough, I pulled out my staff and slammed the dragon's nose so that the mouth would open by force. I landed on the jaw and rolled up the dragon's tongue. "Hey, careful with the soft palette there!"

I chattered at the kids and motioned to the wind-up key.

"Ferb, the key!" Phineas cried. The green-haired boy shot a grappling hook into the dragon's mouth and it snagged on the wind-up key. I watched as he yanked it away and the mouth came crashing down. Grasping the tongue, I used it as a rope of sorts to escape being crushed in its mechanical jaw.

"Well, I hope I didn't do any damage…" I sighed. I turned to see what had become of the boys only to be unceremoniously crushed by Doofus Khan's contraption. The world faded to black. Perhaps my torment was over.

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**Next chapter starts the real stuff :D Whoo! **


	3. The Request

**Here we are, all of the episode's parts are gone from this and you have simply AJ stuffs. (Minus, ya know, the FFN aspect). -AJ **

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To my great dismay, my eyes flitted open to reveal the interior of a place I hadn't set foot in years. I sat up and rubbed my aching head. The room I was in was completely empty. Not a soul was to be found. I'd been placed on a medical bench. Searching myself, I found that I hadn't been severely injured; a few scrapes and bruises were present on my limbs.

I slipped off of the bench and tested my balance. Deeming my balance good enough to leave without trouble, I brushed myself off and turned to the doors. I was stopped short by the silent presence of the superior I'd abandoned. Regent Monogram had his hands folded behind his back and a blank expression on his face.

"I don't suppose an explanation can make up for my absence," I said flatly.

"No, no it wouldn't," he shook his head. I took one step forward, intending to leave, but looking upon his visage I knew I should stay put until he had what he wanted. "The Tri-Province Area hasn't fared as well as I've hoped without your protection, Master Perry."

A response didn't come to me. I had it coming; it was to be expected. After all, I had been the greatest warrior in the region. They would see it as a blessing that I'd returned, and I awaited his request for me to return with dread. It wasn't in my intentions to resume my post. I just wanted to return to the mountain and await my death.

"We've been able to manage," he continued, noting that I wasn't going to give him any of my words. "It's been a rough number of years. We'd come to assume that you were dead."

Straightening, I swallowed and held my tongue. What could one say to that? He spoke as if I were still the answer to his problems. I would give him that I'd just assisted in the rescue of their princess and the foiling of Doofus Khan's master plan, but I still didn't agree that it qualified me as the one to regain the position I'd thrown away.

"I have a feeling you know what I want to ask you," he said, shifting his feet a little on the floor. I lowered my head and looked at my own sandals. "I also get the feeling that you'll turn me down. We know you left on the pretense that you'd made a mistake. To be honest, we weren't even sure why you thought what you did."

"What do you mean?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"You stated in a letter that you'd harmed your family," the Regent said slowly. I held up my hands and shook my head. He wasn't about to lecture me about the mistake. He stopped amidst the explanation and frowned.

"I'd rather not talk about it," I told him. "Just give me one good reason I should return to the job and you shouldn't train someone else."

"Because someone has to train someone else in order to free up the position," the Regent countered. He folded his arms and pulled himself up. I looked back up. "If you aren't willing to reclaim your position as the Master of the Tri-Province Area, then I ask that you at least stick around to train a new group of students and elect one to replace you."

"You don't need me for that," I told him. "After all, you and Carl are responsible for my training. It's clear you don't need me to do that for you. What's the catch?"

"Catch? There is no catch," Monogram chuckled. He came over to me and smiled softly, I suppose to suggest that it wasn't because they couldn't train new recruits themselves, it was because they enjoyed my presence. "You position, Master Perry, is still intact. No one ever filled the place. Thus, being the only Master we've ever instated, you're obligated to assist General Carl in training these kids."

"And if I say no?" I set my jaw.

"I doubt you'll want to say no once you meet these kids," the Regent laughed a little. He turned and walked partly out of the door and glanced at me over his shoulder. I frowned deeper and followed behind him. He seemed smug.

"What makes you assume that I'm going to instantly have a heart to train these kids?" I questioned, subconsciously readjusting the wig I'd placed on my head. "Is it because I just decided to help those kids save your princess just to get them off of my back?"

"You didn't just follow them because you wanted them off your back," he returned with a smirk. I rolled my eyes.

"Perhaps I went crazy for a moment and thought you guys needed me back," I sniffed.

"Perhaps you're more right in that than you think," Regent Monogram raised his unibrow. He opened the door to the palace and I gazed out over the courtyard. To my right was the old house where we warriors had stayed. I assumed that was where we were headed now. The Regent stepped out onto the steps and led me in the yurt's direction.

"I just don't know, sir," I sighed. He placed his hands on the front door to the commons area of the warrior's home. We paused there. "I left this life because I screwed up. If I can't be the husband and father that I should have been, then how can I lead a group of kids to greatness? It doesn't seem right."

"You've made a lot of mistakes," the Regent pointed out. "You can't give up over one."

"I suppose," I shrugged. He pushed open the door to the home and beckoned for me to follow him. He had no other words for me, and I wondered why. It wasn't until we turned the corner to head towards the kitchen that the puzzle was answered. My heart leapt into my mouth.

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**What's freaking Master Perry out? ^-^ I tell you not. **


	4. Xing

**Finally got this going! Been doing a lot of stuff lately now that I'm in college! -AJ **

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There, standing with the group of kids that had come to me for help with saving the princess, was a young male platypus. But he wasn't just a platypus. He had the ears of a fox and the tail of a fox. I felt my heart pounding within my chest. Was it—no, no, it couldn't be! I backed into the wall and clasped one hand to my chest.

"Changed your mind yet?" Monogram smiled a little. He took one more step into the kitchen and cleared his throat. The kids organized themselves into a line and all stood at attention. They pressed their hands together and bowed. "Good morning, recruits! I'm sorry that General Carl is running a little late. I have someone very special to introduce to you. This with me is Master Perry, the greatest master in all of China."

"It's an honor, Master!" the boys said in unison, bowing a second time. I bowed back to them.

"We have five recruits, just like in your day, Master Perry," the Regent said, waving over them. I looked them over. "We have Phineas and Ferb, from the Flynn-Fletcher family, Baljeet, of the Tjinder family, Buford, of the Van Stomm family, and Xing, of the Yazuishou family."

So it was truly my song, Xing, who was standing before me. He showed no recognition of my name, which meant that his mother had probably never told him about me. I straightened a little and started to pace in front of them.

"Yes, I'm acquainted with these fellows," I hummed. "They were the ones that requested my help in rescuing the princess. Impressive, might I say, that they could scale the Unclimbable Mountain of Unclimbableness. 'Tis a feat previously only done by myself."

"Is that a challenge?" I heard Phineas ask. I gave him a look. "Master."

"What kind of backgrounds are we dealing with here, hmm?" I said, scrutinizing each of the kids. "Farmers? Nobles? Artisans? What mix do we have here?"

"Our parents are artisans," Phineas said, clearly unable to keep his mouth shut. "They're furniture artisans, to be specific. They prefer to sell antiquities though."

"My parents are Confucian scholars," Baljeet piped up.

"My parents are warriors," Buford grunted. "They've taught me well!"

"My mother is a peasant living in the city," Xing said, coloring a little. He seemed slightly embarrassed to have been the poorest of the recruits. I had to resist the urge to smile at him. "Nothing special."

"Nothing special?" I raised one brow and blinked at him. He cowered a little. "I'm the adopted son of rice farmers from Xihoudu. I was banished for being a public nuisance; namely for gambling, drinking, and disorderly conduct. If I, with my rather terrible reputation and lack of status, can become the greatest master in all of Zhongguo, then you, too, have that potential."

Xing looked somewhat shocked by my statement. He stared at me incredulously for a moment before remembering that he wasn't supposed to keep his gaze on me for so long. He bowed his head and stared at the floor to avoid awkwardness. I took a few steps back and stood beside the Regent again.

"It's not an easy road," I said, scanning them once more. "But in order to become the best, you have to work the hardest. You have to sacrifice your comfort to tone your body to fit the energy requirements. It takes muscle. It takes stamina. It takes balance. But it also takes something more than that."

"And what, Master Perry, would that be?" Baljeet asked, looking nervous about the list I'd made. He'd made progress, but fear still was written across his face.

"Heart," I said turning away from them all.

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**So? **


End file.
